Iris Bell
Iris Bell (born July 21, 1934 in Charleston , West Virginia , † April 19, 2008 in Buckhannon , West Virginia) was an American rhythm & blues , soul and jazz musician ( piano , vocals, songwriting ).
Bell learned classical piano by the age of 14 and began working as a professional musician in 1951. She led a jazz trio with which she was active in the Charleston area for more than 15 years. With her trio, to which her husband Derek Pierson (double bass) also belonged, she recorded several songs composed with her husband on singles in the 1960s and 70s, such as "Baby, You've Got Soul" (Tramp T023), "One Strong Woman" / "Honky Games" (Highclass 1973, BG 10168) and "Something Else" (Cadillac Records, with Butch Miles ). Under the band name The Iris Bell Adventure , she had a multi-year engagement in Ann Arbor from 1968, initially with Pierson and drummer Butch Miles, where her only album At the Rubaiyat (1969) was created, which mainly contained the band members' own compositions. In 1977 she returned to Charleston, where she reactivated her trio and now appeared as a soloist. In the 1980s she was invited to the West Virginia Jazz Festival several times .
Bell wrote the song This is My West Virginia in 1962 , which became one of the three hymns of the state of West Virginia .
Web links
- Biography (findagrave.com)
- Iris Bell at Discogs (English)
- Iris Bell Trio at Allmusic (English)
- Iris Bell & the Jive-Ettes at Allmusic (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Al LaGrone: Journeys Inside My Shadow . 2013, p. 272
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Bell, Iris |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American R&B and jazz musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 21, 1934 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Charleston , West Virginia |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 19, 2008 |
| Place of death | Buckhannon , West Virginia |